Previously, Africa’s approach in this area was disparate and fragmented despite the region bearing a disproportionate disease burden compared to other continents, says Stavros Nicolaou, the senior executive for strategic trade development at Aspen, the largest pharmaceutical company in Africa.
Nicolaou, a trained pharmacist, was part of the Aspen team that introduced Africa’s first generic antiretroviral drug in 2003, at the height of the HIV/Aids epidemic. The Aspen executive also witnessed the ravages of the deadly multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB).